The political commentator Luc Lavoie is suffering from cancer and must therefore temporarily leave the programs “La Joute” and “Le Bilan”, presented at LCN.
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“I recently received some very bad news. I have cancer,” he wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, a statement that sparked thousands of reactions.
“I now rely on medical science and the specialists with whom I have been working for several weeks, he continues on the social network. These specialists have been advising me from the beginning to take time off from my professional life and, the more things progress, the more I have to resign myself to accepting this advice. Medicine has evolved a lot in recent years, which allows me to dream of a complete cure. But before getting there, I have many months left to devote all my energies to this fight.
The former journalist and political adviser, notably for Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, concluded his message by emphasizing that he adores his work and wishes to return to it one day. “I will miss my co-workers tremendously.”
We don’t know what cancer Luc Lavoie has, but on “La Joute” on Wednesday, host Paul Larocque mentioned: “It’s serious, it’s serious, but the good news is that it’s is treatable”.
Back on the LCN debate show since September 2021, after a few years of absence, Luc Lavoie also comments on political news at FM 98.5.
His colleague Luc Ferrandez also commented on Luc Lavoie’s illness on the air, saying that he “is not on the verge of death, but it is still very serious”, according to him. Mr. Ferrandez added: “We must not treat this information as if he was going to die or as if he was going to retire. On the contrary, he is optimistic, so we will be too. We will say to ourselves that we will miss him for a few months, at least until April, but we obviously wish him to win this dramatic match against the disease.
On the side of TVA, the general manager and editor-in-chief, Information, Xavier Brassard-Bédard, indicated in an email that Luc Lavoie is a “fighter” who “has not said his last word, far from it”.
Many reactions
Among all the subscribers of Luc Lavoie’s Facebook page who wished him a speedy recovery and courage, there is the host of the shows “La Joute” and “Le Bilan”, Paul Larocque, who wrote: “Dear Luc , we keep your chair warm at “La Joute” and “Bilan”. All our thoughts are with you. We will of course miss you, but nothing is more important than the fight you are about to fight. We are already looking forward to seeing you as soon as you are back on your feet. Until then, good luck. We love you my boyfriend.”
His former colleague at “La Joute” and FM 98.5 Bernard Drainville, now a candidate for the CAQ in Lévis, shared these few words on Twitter: “I am wholeheartedly with you my friend. You have a damn hard head: it will serve you very well in your fight. I love you very much.”
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, also wrote a note to Mr. Lavoie: “Dear Luc, I wish you a speedy recovery and a lot of courage in this fight. Come back to us in force.”